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SEEDs of Wisdom
Prep students spoke at the SEED Dinner, welcoming incoming freshman families and recognizing seniors on April 10. SEED (Students for
Educational Excellence through Diversity) is a school-wide, multi-racial/cultural, multi-class, and multi-religious organization open to everyone in
the Prep student body. Following are excerpts from the students’ speeches, giving advice to new students, about their Prep experience.
Darien
Gilling ’16
am a freshman here
I at Prep. I previously
attended Park City
Prep Charter School
in Bridgeport, CT. The
decision to attend Prep was not mine, but my
parents. At Prep, in my opinion, there are many
academic challenges. For most people their
academic challenge is keeping up with the work,
while for others their academic challenge is trying
to study for a test instead of trying to cram the
night before. During your four years at Prep, your
life can be either difficult or easy depending on
how you manage your time and if you are able to
stay on track or not.
The teachers here are always willing to help.
The teachers here are not like the teachers we
had in middle school. They do not come and find
you to tell you that you are doing poorly or that
you didn’t turn in an assignment. They want you to
be responsible and take the time out to ask them
for help or come see when you have a question.
Taking the time out to go see your teachers tells
them that you are concerned about your grade in
that particular class.
The relationship between parents and the
school community is interesting. Some parents
come in to check up on or ask questions about
their son or sons. My mom comes in sometimes
to check up on me and find out how I’m doing
in my classes. Honestly, I am fine with my mom
checking up on me, because it shows how much
she cares about me and my education.
At Prep there is an event called the Freshman
Retreat, which is an overnight stay at Prep where
you interact with other freshman and do activities
together. The Freshman Retreat for me was an
amazing experience. I formed a brotherhood
between not only my group members, but with my
group leaders.
My words of advice to incoming freshman
parents is to encourage your son or sons to
participate in school activities or play a sport.
Also, allow your son to learn to make decisions
and make mistakes so that in the future he will
make better decisions.
Nicholas
Greco ’13
I
’ve only been in SEED
for one year but it
did so much for me. To
summarize the benefits
of the SEED program into
one sentence would be to say it’s the reason I was
able to go to Fairfield Prep my senior year. That
one sentence is all that is needed. Without the
SEED program and the aid I received from it there
would have been no way I could have finished
my Prep career. I would have had to transfer and
leave behind my friends and most importantly
miss out on all the opportunities available to Prep
seniors. While I may not have experienced the
benefits of the SEED program for all four years, I
can say that without a doubt, they are something
you shouldn’t take for granted. When you realize
one day that you were able to go to Prep because
of those benefits, you’ll realize how lucky you
actually are.
It wasn’t always easy during my time here at
Prep. I needed a lot of help with everything from
how to prepare for the whole college process
all the way to simply which classes I should
take. That help came from the combination of my
guidance counselors here at Prep. I’m sure I’m not
the only one who’s told you but one of the most
important things you can do during your time at
Prep is to form a relationship with your guidance
counselors. Even if it’s just making an appointment
with them and telling them how your year has
been going so far or asking them for help with a
problem you’re having I guarantee you it will help.
I don’t think there are actually enough words
to describe in all how lucky I was to have been
in SEED this year, to have formed those types of
relationships with my guidance counselors and
also what comes next. As I stand here tonight
looking out at all of you I can only tell you to take
advantage of everything Prep has to offer. Buy into
the idea of Prep and embrace the SEED program
as much as it has embraced us all as members. To
that end I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks
to both Dr. Andrade and Mrs. Thomas because
without them none of this would be possible for
any of us.
Orlando
Sanchez ’16
Out of school, time
management and
sports is going well for me
so far. Most sports have
practice every day so I
would go to practice and do my homework as soon
as I come home, so that I don’t have to stay up all
night. It worked for quite a while both during the
football season and during the football training I
did after my summer enrichment camp.
One thing that helps me with my time
management in AND out of school is the Monday
SEED sessions with Mrs. Thomas. Basically, what
you would do is stay there for an hour and do your
homework with your fellow classmates, talk to
Mrs. Thomas about your grades, your GPA, and
basically, how she could help you with picking up
your grades.
Mrs. Thomas is always willing to help you with
your homework, no matter how annoying you are
and I’m talking from experience here. She’s been
there for me as a teacher, a helper, somebody who
was concerned about helping me, and most of all,
she’s been a friend to me. She’s a great source to
have whether you are a student or even a parent.
Parents, Mrs. Thomas is a great woman to talk
to about your son. She will give your son advice on
how he could do better and she will be there for him
whenever he needs help, both academically AND
socially. Parents, it is great to have communication
with the school and to always check up on him.
These four years are going to be challenging
for him, but a little help from his classmates, his
teachers, and , most of all, his parents will help him
get through the journey at Prep.
His knowing that people are there for him, by
his side, WILL help him do better in his Prep life.
Prep Today 23